{"data":{"id":"us-ma/mass.-gen.-laws-ch.-278-8","jurisdiction":"us-ma","citation":"Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 278, § 8","heading":"Justification in libel cases","body":"Section 8. The defendant in a prosecution for writing or publishing a libel may introduce in evidence the truth of the matter contained in the publication charged as libellous, and the truth shall be a justification, unless actual malice is proved.","path":["Part IV","Title II","Chapter 278"],"source_url":"https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIV/TitleII/Chapter278/Section8","current_through":"amendments passed before May 31, 2026","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-17T05:25:22Z","sha256":"487c9959bc93620bf39ba827905dcd4b87078764adca244b8e9aea1718c007c7","source_id":"us-ma","stale":false,"prev":"us-ma/mass.-gen.-laws-ch.-278-7","next":"us-ma/mass.-gen.-laws-ch.-278-8a"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}